SP had the privilege of getting a star gazing session at the Philippines’ first Mobile Digital Planetarium located at the Diliman Preparatory School along Commonwealth Avenue last May 18, 2010. We first heard about it on the news and we definitely wanted you, our dear SP moms and dads, to be one of the first to hear about this educational facility. Go on an amazing science field trip. Bring your preschooler or big kid to this fantastic planetarium and spark their interest in the sciences.

Built for Future Filipino Scientists, Astronomers and Astrophysicists

“I didn’t bring this planetarium to the Philippines for college and postgraduate students,” says former senator and President & CEO of Diliman Preparatory School, Anna Dominique “Nikki” M. Coseteng. “I brought it here for the kids. I don’t want to limit the big dreamers and the future leaders just because they don’t have the proper equipment and the chance to see what’s possible. This is for the future Filipino scientists, astronomers and astrophysicists.”

Ms. Coseteng personally invested in the planetarium, called SkyXplore, and made sure that it was mobile in structure so that it could be toured around the Philippines. Right now, it is located in the Diliman Preparatory School which was put up by Ms. Coseteng’s mother, Alicia M. Coseteng, 41 years ago.

Advocating a Love of Learning: Doman System, EPIP and Robotics

“I believe that learning isn’t all theory and concepts. Life is about knowing how to solve problems practically. Kids are very astute and eager to learn. It is us adults who actually stunt their capacity to learn by putting limits to what they can study,” further explains Ms. Coseteng. This is why she brought the Glenn Doman Gentle Revolution System to her school and made it part of the Early Childhood Education curriculum. This system can be used by parents with babies as old as six months. As long as parents don’t use the tools as a way to pressure their children but rather, as a way for kids to just naturally learn and enjoy the process, the system has been guaranteed to be effective. Coseteng not only invested in the Planetarium and the Doman System but also in a proprietary English Proficiency Intervention Program (EPIP) and a robotics lab for kids as young as preschoolers.

Highly Interactive and Based on Actual Scientific Observation

The planetarium is inside a bubble tent, seven meters in diameter and can be set up from scratch in about twenty minutes. According to Coseteng, the planetarium itself was made in Argentina but the technology behind it comes from the U.S. “This planetarium is highly interactive and is based on the current location of the heavenly bodies in relation to the earth. Kids will be exposed to the fascinating world of astronomy and physics by simply being inside the planetarium,” she adds. Astronomy is actually an ancient science and one in which scientific observation is very evident. Scientists from long ago wrote down their observations of the night sky and recorded them over thousands of years, creating very precise predictions and measurements.

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First, we all saw a 180 degree view of the sky with a glaring sun. We weren’t really impressed yet. But when Eyna Domingo, our astronomer guide, informed us that she was going to remove the effects of the atmosphere from the picture and expose us to the real sky, we waited with baited breath. The effect was dramatic. The planetarium darkened and we were all amazed at the sight of the stars as they were positioned over the daytime sky.

Click here to learn more about the SP team's Digital Planetarium experience.